Raymond Train Derailment Causes Huge Fire in Minnesota

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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A train reportedly derailed in western Minnesota on Thursday, causing residents of the community of Raymond in Kandiyohi County to be evacuated.

St. Cloud news station KNSI reported that numerous cars from a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed on the western edge of Raymond, a city of less than 1,000 citizens. According to the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office, a fire started in some of the cars carrying a form of ethanol and a corn syrup liquid.

BNSF Railway confirmed in a statement that approximately 22 cars had derailed around 1 a.m. on Thursday. The company added that no injuries related to the derailment had been reported. The latest incident is one of over a dozen trains to have derailed in the United States since the beginning of the year.

Raymond's fire department reportedly responded to the emergency together with the fire departments of other nearby cities, and firefighters, paramedics, and law enforcement helped evacuate the western Minnesota town.

Stock image of firefighter
This stock image shows a firefighter approaching a house engulfed in flames with a hose. A fire followed the derailment of a train in Western Minnesota, according to reports. Getty

A release by the county's sheriff's office mentioned by Minneapolis station KARE11 said that residents living within a half-mile of the train derailment site were asked to evacuate and avoid traveling into and within Raymond as efforts to stop the blaze continue.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation stated that Highway 23 is closed from Kandiyohi County Road 1 to Chippewa County Road 1 because of the incident and the fire. The rail line also remains closed with no information about when it will be able to reopen at this time.

An emergency shelter for the evacuated Raymond residents was reportedly set up at the Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg. Residents will later be moved to the nearby Unity Church. According to reports, emergency responders are still working to contain the fire that followed the derailment.

KSTP reporter Chris Egert wrote about the incident on Twitter: "BREAKING NEWS: train derailment in the Western Minnesota community of Raymond. The Sheriff's Office has evacuated some residents. HWY 23 is closed as the tracks run right along the road."

The train derailment in Minnesota follows an incident in Ohio last month, when a freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, causing the evacuation of residents and sparking fears over the community's exposure to dangerous materials.

The Ohio train derailment has increased scrutiny on the state and safety of the U.S. railway and Norfolk Southern Railway's safety practices, following other recent incidents involving train operated by the company.

Update 3/30/23, 7:30 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include more information on the train derailment in Minnesota and add more context.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more